PAGES:

Saturday, September 07, 2013

New books from Angle Valley Press

I've had favorable experiences with books from Angle Valley Press so news, infrequent as it is, regarding pending releases from this micro publisher arouses my attention. On September 17, John Fox's Stuart's Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862 will be available. Next year, we can expect The Three Battles of Winchester by Brandon Beck and Confederate Dead from Gettysburg by Robert K. Krick and Chris Ferguson.

4 comments:

Drew: Fox did a very nice job in his study of the attack on Fort Gregg but this looks to be a little more challenging. I'm not sure what of any importance or insight can be added to existing accounts of a ride/chase with minimal actual fighting and casualties. I note that the publisher's site indicates that the book is stuffed with 75 photos. I guess we'll see.

I thought Bearss said what needed to be said about the Stuart expedition in his rather long essay about it from the 3 volume Savas collection on the Peninsula-Seven Days that was published in the mid '90s.

"Stuart's Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862" is just off the printing press. The national release was held last Tuesday evening at Hanover Tavern which figured prominently in the raid. There was a big crowd to hear my presentation and to celebrate the new book. In the 20 years since the good Ed Bearrs' article [1993] and the excellent Horace Mewborn article in B&G [1998] many more primary accounts have been made available. I have used these new sources to reveal the chaos and confusion this raid created behind Union lines for both the Federal leadership and the lowly private on picket and vidette duty. George Skoch made 7 new maps to include the only map ever-made to show the cavalry fight at Linney's Corner where Captain William Latane's 9th Va Cavalry squadron clashed with three companies from the 5th US Cavalry under Captain William Royall. The book also details multiple controversies involving McClellan, Stuart, Philip St. George Cooke and how this significant expedition altered the tactical and strategic situation in 1862 Virginia.